Illusory advertising device



Aug. u, 1925.

O. M. THOMSON ILLUSORY vADVERTISING DEVICE Filed Nov. 9 1.92.3

INVENTOR @Jaa/"M Wanna/1,

ATTORNEY n p Y 2p Z9 HHM!y Patented Aug. 11, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEFlcE- OSCAR M. THOMSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO `AMERICAN' MILK PRODUCTS CORPORATION, OF NEW YO'RK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

ILLUSORY .ADVERTISING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR M. THOMSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Illusory Advertising Device, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an illusory advertising device and is particularly applicable to the display and advertisin of containers for milk `or other food pro ucts and the general object of this invention is to provide an attractive display which in its operation will cause the observer to see a dis' play container during one operation of the i device, but at the next operation of the device said display container will not be visible. More particularly the object of the invention is to provide means especially adaptable to the operation of a container for food products and the like by which operation enables the container to be visible and invisible by the operation of the device. l

For this purpose the invention consists of the novel structure shown in the drawings and hereinafter to be described and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a front view of my improved device showing the display container in po sition and visible to the observer;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on l line 2-2 of Figure 1 in which the visible lposition of the Vcontainer is shown in full lines and in which the position of the container invisible to the observer is shown in' dotted lines; v

Figure 3 is a view of a portion of the operating parts seen from line 3-3;

Figure 4 is a pla-n view, partly in section, of the container and the parts withinythe container; and

Figure 5 is a sectionof the container taken on line 5 5 of Figure 4.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 2, the casing 10 is formed like a box in which the seven sides form closed walls but the eighth side is open."

`to see that a mirror exists or where the mirror begins or ends.

llo carry out'this illusion the wall of the casing 10 is provided with a diagonal slot 14 which is symmetrical with the angular position of the mirrorll. 'Io further carry out the illusion, lamps 15 depend from the upper wall of the casing and these reflect the light against Athe interior walls of the casing and against the mirror, so as .to make it very diiiicult, excepting to one who is initiated, to ascertain that a mirror actually exists. The end edge of the mirror l11 abuts against a nickel-plate rod 16, which extends from side wall to side wall and at the rear of this rod 16 there is arranged a shaft 17 which has means thereon for being rotated and also means for holding the container. The means for rotating the shaft 17 comprise a pinion 18 secured to the end of the shaft at the exterior of the casing and this pinion 18 meshesV with a pinion segment 19 arranged on a plate 20 secured to a shaft 21 bearing. within a plate 22 secured by screws 23 to the outer wall of the casing.' To the pinion plate 20 andto the shaft 21 is secured a lever arm 24 which is vengaged by a vertically arranged rod 25, the lower eol tric motor which 'causes the-lever arm 24 to move down and up at stated periods. The movement of the pinion plate 2O rotates the pinion 18 Vand hence the shaft 17. The late 22, the lever arm 24, the pinion 18 an the pinionl plate 19 are 'arranged within an auxiliary casing 27 so as to hide the same from view.

The shaft-'17 has secured thereto a sleeve 30 and this sleeve has a portion 31 extending t therefrom to` which is secured an elbow member 32 having an extension 33 which enters the container. The free end of the extension 33 seats in a bearing 34, forming part of the interior of the container and at the other side of the container the extension 33 has a sleeve 36 having a projection 37 which is engaged by one end of a spring v indicated by 41. Exterior of the shaft 17 a helical spring 42 is arranged, one end of which is secured to the sleeve 43 of the shaft 17 and the other end of which is secured at' 44 to the wall of the casing 10.

At the open side of the casing 10, there is arranged an openable and closable front door 50, shown in Figure 2 as in full lines, but-partly broken away, and shown in its open position, and in dotted lines in its closed position and this door 50 is supported by angular member 51 which is pivoted at 52 to a bracket 53 secured to the lower part of the casing 10. The angular member 51 has its end fastened to a spring 54 which in turn is fastened to a rod 55 operated by mechanism not shown and which acts in unisonl with the mechanism operatingV the rod 25 which rotates the shaft 17.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The mechanism below the casing l0 which' is not shown is set into operation and thereby the rod 25 and also the rod 55 is vertically reciprocated and thereby the shaft 17 is rotated and the door 50 opened and closed.

l When the door 50 is open the container 35 lis in the posit-ion shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 and is visible to the observer. The door" 50 is then closed and thereafter it is opened and when the door is openedgand brought into the position shown in Figure 2 as in full lines there shown, the container 35 is not visible to the observer, since it has taken the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. This is due to the fact that the shaft -17 is rotated and as the shaft 17 rotates it moves the elbow member 32 into the positionshown in dotted lines in Figure 2 and from this first dotted line position the continued rotation of the shaft 17 moves the container into the lowermost dotted line position at the rear of the mirror. As the shaft 17 rotates the elbow member 32 moves the container 35 away from the visible position shown in Figure' 1 vand as this movement takes place the container 35 turns around the extension 33 against the action of the spring 38 and continues to move around the extension 33 until the weight 41 completely turns the container around the extension 33 into the position shown in Figure 2Aat the rear of the mirror. 'The conturn movement of the shaft 17 raises thev elbow member 32 and hence the container 35 and as the container 35 is raised the spring 38 in conjunction with the weight 41 serves to again turn the container until it reaches the uppermost dotted line position, when by an almost instantaneous movement of the container 35 around the extension shaft 33, the container is brought into upright position. To assist in holding it in this position the container 35 is provided with an extension 57 which abuts against the elbow member 32.

Thus by the operation of suitably timed mechanism the front of the casing is opened or closed and vwhen it is open the container is visible as in the position shown in Figure 1. Then the door is closed and during the closing of the door the container is moved from its visible to its invisible position and when the door is again opened nothing can be seen of the container.

The container may be provided with a suitable label representing a well-known brand 'of evaporated milk or other food product and the device may thereby be used for advertising such a brand of food product., since the average observer will be attracted by the illusionary character of the display device and thereby the device is admirable and very advantageous to calling attention to the article to be advertised.

I have shown an embodiment of my invention but changes may be made therein without depart-ing from the spirit of my invention as dened in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An illusory advertising device comprising a casing, a mirror diagonally arranged within the casing, a shaft at the rear of and below the upper edge of the mirror, a container moved by the shaft and means between the shaft and the container for moving it from an upright vertical position at the top of the mirror through a turning movement to a horizontally arranged position below and at the rear of the mirror.

2. An illusory advertising device comprising a casing, a mirror arranged diagonally within the casing, a horizontal shaft at the rear of and below the upper edge of the mirror, a lever arm mounted ony said shaft for movement therewith, a container supported by said lever arm, a weight within the container and spring operated means between the container and the shaft within the container for holding it in a vertical position when the container is supported above the mirror causing it to turn to a horizontal position when the arm is rotated downwardly behind the mirror.

3. An illusory advertising device comprising a4 casing, a mirror arranged diagonally withinv the casing, an openable and closabledoor at the front of the casing, a shaft within the casing at the rear of and below the upper edge of the mirror, a lever arm mounted on said shaft for movement therewith and in unison with the means for opening or closing the door, a container pivotally supported by said lever arm, a spring having one end secured to the arm and the other to the container, a Weight within the container, a projection at the exterior of the container adapted to engage with the lever arm when the arm is in its upper position for holding the container, in a vertical position, and means for moving the door and the shaft supporting the lever arm 4whereby the container is pivotally moved in respect to its shaftfrom upright vertical position to horizontal position at the rear of the mirror 4. jin illusory advertising device oomprising a casing, a mirror arranged diagonally within the casing, a horizontal shaft at the rear of the mirror and below the upper edge thereof, a lever arm mounted on said shaft for movement therewith, said lever arm adapted to extend above the upper edge of the mirror in one of its positions a con` tainer supported by the free end of said lever arm, and means for holding said container in a vertical position when the container is supported above the mirror and in the front thereof, and the lever arm is brought above the upper edge of the mirror and for causing it to turn to a horizontal position when the arm is rotated downwardly behind the mirror.

ln testimony that ll claim the foregoing as my invention, and have signed my name hereto.

@SCAR M, THGMSON., 

